Misty of Chincoteague: An Island Adventure With Your Family

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. After you have your room assignment, walk next door to the Museum of Chincoteague Island’s pavilion and the Road Scholar table inside to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.

Dinner: We’ll take a bus to a local waterfront restaurant where we’ll have a plated meal with beverage choices of soft drinks, coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Orientation: 7:00 p.m. Back in the museum pavilion, the Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. This is a Road Scholar Family program. Adults are responsible for their minor children. If/when separate age group activities are conducted concurrently, program staff will supervise. Minors are never to be left unsupervised. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. We will end the evening with an ice cream social prepared by a local ice cream shop, to ease the nerves of children and adults getting to know each other.

Activity note: Getting on/off a bus. Driving 7-10 miles, about 2 hours. Walking under 1 mile.

Breakfast: At the hotel, the breakfast buffet offers choices such as eggs, breakfast meats, Belgian waffles, oatmeal, cereal, fruit, biscuits, bagels, Danish pastries, muffins, and toast, plus milk, juice, coffee, tea, water.

Morning: We will board a motorcoach and ride to the Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge on Assateague to look for and learn about wild ponies, petite Sika elk, nesting terrapin, otters, bald eagles, Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel, and other wildlife. A local wildlife expert with years of experience will be our instructor. We will be going into an area closed to vehicle access to the public, so be sure to bring your camera for this trip since it is a rare treat.

Lunch: By bus, we’ll head to a local restaurant where we’ll have a plated meal with beverage choices of coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: We will explore the island via bus and hear about the local history from a local expert who will point out important places in the community, which will help to illuminate what makes the island so special. We’ll hear about the Beebe Ranch, the birthplace of Misty of Chincoteague. Then, we will head over to the museum pavilion where we will hear from a local expert all about the events that occur during Chincoteague’s Annual Pony Penning Week and explain why the ponies are so valued by the community and visitors to the island.

Dinner: At a local restaurant, we’ll have plated meals with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a bus; driving 5 miles, about 15 minutes. Getting on/off a pontoon boat; riding about 2 hours. Minimal walking during group activities. Elective swimming and/or beach walking according to personal preference.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We will hop aboard our motorcoach and head to the beach! Children as well as adults will be given the opportunity to get in the ocean, as long as it is marked safe by the lifeguards. Children must be watched over by their adults. If participants are not up for swimming, they are more than welcome to search for shells, build sand castles, or relax next to the calming waves.

Lunch: Back at the museum pavilion, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: Taking the bus to Curtis Merritt Harbor, we’ll board a pontoon boat to cruise along island waters as we look for ponies, eagles, migrating birds, porpoises, and other marine life. Our boat captain and first mate will explain the marsh and shoreline habitats and regale us with stories of life on the water. We'll pass clam beds, learn about aquaculture, and see the site of the Annual Pony Swim, which we will learn about from various experts throughout our trip.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Getting on/off a bus; driving 4 miles, about 15 minutes. Walking under 1 mile on wet sand. Working in wet/muddy conditions. Standing on docks crabbing.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We will put on old shoes and clothes we don’t mind getting wet and take a field trip to Tom's Cove on Assateague, where National Park Service rangers will lead us on an exploration of the cove waters as we look for clams, oysters, crabs, shrimp, and other shoreline critters.

Lunch: At a local restaurant, we’ll have plated meals with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: We will return to the hotel and tidy up before heading out by bus to the Island Theater’s Annex on Main Street. Here we will watch “Misty” — the classic movie based on Marguerite Henry’s beloved book “Misty of Chincoteague” that was inspired by real life. The movie premiered here in 1961. Misty left her hoof prints in cement on the sidewalk and Marguerite Henry herself wrote Misty’s name. Be sure to snap a photo of this iconic landmark! After, we will head over to the docks at Memorial Park where we will all experience crabbing with a local expert. We will learn the different ways to catch crabs, how to safely handle them, how to identify whether the crab is male or female, and how to determine if it is a “keeper.”

Dinner: Kids will have pizza at the Museum of Chincoteague, while adults will take the bus to a local waterfront restaurant for a plated meal with coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: While at the museum, kids will learn about the exhibits with a scavenger hunt, complete a small craft project, and answer island trivia questions, with the help of two Road Scholars assistants. After dinner, adults will return to the museum by bus, where the children will have the opportunity to show their family what they learned at the museum.

Activity note: Getting on/off a bus, driving 13 miles roundtrip, under 1 hour. Walking 2 miles total on flat surfaces.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: We will board the bus and ride to the NASA Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Established in 1945, Wallops is now NASA's principal suborbital research facility. We will have the opportunity to enjoy a self-led exploration of the visitor center’s featured exhibits about the history of the facility, aeronautics, rockets, scientific balloons, and current missions. Be sure to check out the viewing platform on the rooftop with great views of the runway.

Lunch: We will pick up to-go lunches from the museum pavilion and enjoy our meal where we please. The Group Leader will offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Free time. This time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: Regrouping at the museum, we will have a traditional island picnic in the pavilion featuring regional favorites with live music.

Evening: During dinner, we will be entertained by a local musician. The rest of the evening is at leisure. Prepare for check-out and departures in the morning.

Activity note: Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: Hotel buffet.

Morning: Setting out by bus, we will visit the Assateague Lighthouse and, upon arrival, you may wish to climb the 175 stairs up to the top where we will learn from Group Leader about the village of Assateague that used to exist at the base of the lighthouse. We’ll then return to the hotel. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!